Michael Rodriguez Torrent
Short Stories
Through unposed photographs of everyday dramas, my series “Short Stories” brings out the fleeting scenes in life that otherwise pass us by. I use analog processes in my work to help me slow down, look at the world around me, and make more considered choices. Isolating these spontaneous episodes in solitary images takes them out of time and place, which frees us to fully digest their subtle details and infuse each moment with new significance and symbolism.
I am interested in balanced, structured compositions, as in the work of street and documentary photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Saul Leiter, and James Ravilious. I made the photographs in “Short Stories” on 35mm black-and-white film (primarily Ilford HP5 Plus) using a motley collection of old SLR and rangefinder cameras, and printed them in the darkroom on Ilford fiber paper. These cinematic, ambiguous impressions encourage us to look long and deeply to discover layers of story, character, and meaning.
Artist Bio
Michael Rodríguez Torrent is a photographer and cinematographer who approaches the world with a sense of wonder. Through his work, he seeks out the strangeness and beauty in everyday life. His process currently focuses on analog, photochemical methods including 35mm and medium format film – both color and black-and-white – and traditional darkroom printing.
After working for a number of years on a variety of feature films, TV series, and commercials as a camera assistant, Michael has found himself drawn to the more contemplative nature of still photography. Prior to that, he worked as a software programmer, which resulted in a continuing appreciation for working away from a screen. Naturally, leading up to his career in coding, he earned a degree in theater from Arizona State University.
Most recently, Michael received a 2022 Artist Entrepreneurial Grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, and was exhibited in this year’s NH Society of Photographic Artists Member Exhibit. He was also the cinematographer of the documentary short “Swimming Upstream: Indigenous Environmental Justice for Our Waterways,” released in February.